Saluki Gifts

Our website contains a great range of Saluki products for every Saluki owner and Saluki lover. The products we have available include Saluki Throws, Saluki Cushions and Saluki Shoulder Bags.

The Saluki throws measure 54 inches by 54 Inches and are made from 100% all natural high-quality cotton.

The Saluki shoulder bags are constructed of high quality, 100% natural cotton. Measuring 17" wide by 17" tall with two black canvas straps, the bag can hold an array of items.

The Saluki Cushions are again made from 100% natural cotton and measure 17" by 17". The cushion pad (inner) complies with the furniture and furnishings regulations 1988 and is removable.

All our Saluki merchandise is manufactured to the highest standards and can be purchased with the knowledge that we offer a full money back guarantee if not completely satisfied with your purchase.

Saluki Products Currently Available

Saluki Single Strap Shoulder Bag http://www.abentleycushions.co.uk/detail.asp?pID=2767

Saluki Tapestry Cushion http://www.abentleycushions.co.uk/detail.asp?pID=1367

General Information On Saluki Dogs

The Saluki and the Sloughi have parallel histories and most likely date back to the same stem in the ancient Middle East. Some of the very earliest representations of running gazehounds include those with the attractive fringing of tail, ears and thighs. A painting at Hierakonapolis, dated 3600 BC, shows a Saluki like dog. The breed´s ancient name may have come from the long-disappeared southern Arabian city of Sa-luk, with its reputation for fine armour and dogs, or it may be derived from the town of Seleukia in the old Greek empire of Syria.  

Saluki's were esteemed by sheiks of the desert throughout the centuries and called El ffor, the noble one. The Salukis coursed gazelles and other game, either alone or as an adjunct to the falcon. Like their near relative, the Azawakh, they were slipped loose when near the quarry, enabling them to run down game and hold it for the arrival of the master who made the kill. Training for their part in the hunt began when the pups were four months old.

Saluki's held places of honour in the tents of the Bedouins. The breeding of fine Arabian horses and gazehounds was an art taught to sons by their fathers. Pedigrees, kept pure for thousands of years, were never written down but were committed to memory and passed to each new generation by word of mouth. A Saluki was never sold, but given as a treasured gift or as a trade for favours. Some were obtained in this fashion by Europeans during the Crusades (llth-13th centuries), but were absorbed into the native dog populations when returned to Europe.

A pair of these desert hounds was presented to Lady Florence Amherst in the late 1800s, and she was so taken with the dogs that she strove to have the breed recognized in England. But it wasn´t until after the end of WWI that the breed made any headway in the British Isles, with the Saluki recognized there in 1923. Breeding stock came to the USA from England at this time and the AKC recognized the breed in 1927. In the late 1930s, Esther Bliss Knapp of Ohio took up the breed and imported many lovely specimens from England, Arabia, Egypt and Persia into her Pine Paddock Kennels. This stock, directly from the desert, was the basis for quality breeding programs that have continued in America. Canada followed with recognition in 1938. In fact, such good specimens are produced in America and in England that oil-rich sheiks have been known to come to the Western World today to buy Salukis. Despite the modern trap- pings of luxury cars and business suits, these desert men can still compare the current pedigrees and the dogs to those legendary ancestors of yesteryear.

One of the common practices in the desert was the cropping of Saluki ears. While the thought of chopping off those lovely graceful appendages seems a crime, it was done to prevent injury and infection in a climate where flies and disease abound. Many of the first specimens brought in from the deserts were cropped, thus precluding their being shown in the States. It was their offspring who first made appearances in American dog shows.

Like all sight hounds, the Saluki is a fine pet and companion but not for everyone. Exercise is a must, but so is control over their excursions. They are generally very hardy dogs, having been selected by nature´s cruel "survival of the fittest" for so long. Indoors they are like cats, clean, quiet and enjoying attention when they feel like it. Heavy feathering between the toes protects the feet from the heat of the sand. The smooth version is sometimes called Shami, although it was also called slughi at one time.